Sir Charles Bagot

Bagot, Sir Charles (băgˈət) [key], 1781–1843, British diplomat. As minister to the United States (1815–20) he negotiated the Rush-Bagot Convention, which limited armaments along the U.S.-Canadian border. As governor-general of Canada (1841–43), he was instructed by the British cabinet to resist Canadian demands for responsible government along the lines proposed by the earl of Durham. Bagot, however, allowed Robert Baldwin and Sir Louis LaFontaine to form a ministry on the basis of their parliamentary majority.